Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Ah, her mysteries are not at all her better works. I'll read them, but they lack the elegant wit and humour of her Regencies. Those are completely predictable, but that really doesn't matter, since it's not about the outcome, but what outrageous things will happen to get to that outcome.

Agree. I love the Regency book but have only read one or two of the mystery books. The mysteries usually do not get good reviews.

[PurpleStar]

I'm halfway through The Dead of Winter by Lee Collins. It's about a couple who hunt vampires and other supernatural monsters, and it's in an old western setting. It took awhile to get into it, but now I'm quite enjoying it. I already bought the sequel with that darn 90% coupon code.

[WT Sharpe]

I'm doing a re-read of The Sign of Four, the second of Conan Arthur Doyle's Sherlock Homes novels. I didn't realize, or had forgotten, that the major mention of his cocaine use came so early in the series.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I'm doing a re-read of The Sign of Four, the second of Conan Arthur Doyle's Sherlock Homes novels. I didn't realize, or had forgotten, that the major mention of his cocaine use came so early in the series.

Arthur Conan

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Too bad this is only a splinter. It has the feel of something that could have been an interesting book. But it's always interesting to see the process and in this case the very unfinished story. But on to something else -- I think Borrower of the Night the first Vicky Bliss story by Elizabeth Peters. It's been in my TBR for too long -- time to give it a go.

Well, that definitely was not to my taste. I quite after about 50 pages, I think I'll pass on the rest of them and stick the Amelia Peabody books.

Meanwhile, reading Owner's Share, by Nathan Lowell. And very much enjoying it.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Gazella

Arthur Conan

I have no idea how that slipped in there. Maybe when I decided to omit the "Sir".

[LovesMacs]

I'm reading and enjoying the Bill O'Reilly/Martin Dugard book Killing Jesus. It vividly depicts everyday life in a way not explained in the Bible.

Another work I've begun to read is Walt Whitman's 1855 version of Leaves of Grass. I've read some of Whitman before, in the much longer 1892 edition that includes the poem quoted in iPad ads. So far, the 1855 Preface frequently leaves me confused. Whitman is always a bold and enthusiastic writer but not always logical. Or at least his logic escapes me.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by Synamon

Hmmm, I haven't posted what I've read for a while so this will be a long list.

At the end of last year I discovered a new mystery series, written by Mark Douglas-Home featuring an oceanographer. The Sea Detective and The Woman Who Walked into the Sea were clever and the unusual detective made them my best find of the year.

<snip>

The second Elvis Cole book, Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais didn't disappoint. I enjoy the books that focus on Cole and only have a little Joe Pike, those centered around Pike lack the wit of the earlier books in the series. I also listened to The Suspect and The Two Minute Rule, both standalone novels and both entertaining.

<snip>

Coincidentally I listened to The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, which centered around a stolen masterpiece. The book's main character was an addict whose story seemed whiny to me at times and I'm a bit baffled by the critical raves this book received.

Thanks I wandered into this thread looking for some recs to use the Kobo code on, ended up with the Sea Detective and I'm about to go back and see if I can get some of the Elvis Cole novels I've only ever read one and have always wanted to try more.

Super coincidence I am also currently listening to The Gold Finch and totally agree about Theo at this point I just want to slap him about the head a bit very frustrating character and I've found the plot development to be laborious. The language is nice but it feels as if it would've been a ripper story had it been about half it's current length

[samhy]

Originally Posted by samhy

I hope to finish Cinq semaines en ballon by Jules Verne (Five Weeks in a Balloon) this weekend. Each time I pick it up, I like what I read. However I can't seem to read it for a long time

I finished it and liked it. I think the reason why it took me so long to read is because the distance units, and the temperatures to a lesser extent, didn't mean a thing to me. I had a hard time figuring where they were or how far was the goal at a given time.
The language regarding the African people is outdated and it's weird to read such words.
Other than that, the book was full of knowledge and science elements. It was also witty and funny.

Now, I'm going to read Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by samhy

...Now, I'm going to read Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor.

Oh, do report back on that one. It looks interesting. A total of 146 people gave it 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon. The only thing that looked iffy on the main page was the reviewer who said, "I would have given this 4 stars if not for the spelling and grammar problems, but they do not detract or distract too much for the story to be enjoyable," but even that reviewer noted that "...it is very worth reading. Lots of humor, adventure, interesting characters, and written in a breezy, quirky way that makes it easy to like."

[samhy]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Oh, do report back on that one. It looks interesting. A total of 146 people gave it 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon. The only thing that looked iffy on the main page was the reviewer who said, "I would have given this 4 stars if not for the spelling and grammar problems, but they do not detract or distract too much for the story to be enjoyable," but even that reviewer noted that "...it is very worth reading. Lots of humor, adventure, interesting characters, and written in a breezy, quirky way that makes it easy to like."

The first pages have caught my attention. So far, I like the writing style.
It seems it won't take long to read, so I'll let you know very soon.

[pilotbob]

Just finished the _Divergent_ trilogy. Not bad, not great. I'd say the first book was 3.5 of 5 stars and the other two were 3 stars.

I will be starting _Replay_ next. I think I head about that book here which is why it was in my wish list.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: My most recent purchase, Grantville Gazette #52 edited by Paula Goodlett.

A very bitty story with a massive cast from Virginia DeMarco brought the issue down to average for me. Also, no non-Grantville story. (It sounds odd, but they were including one non-Grantville story since the demise of JBU.)

This makes 100 items read or otherwise removed from my TBR this year. (Many being short stories.) But My TBR is still 11 higher than at the beginning of the year, and will be going much higher once my Lightspeed back issues from their Kickstarter campaign become available.

Next up: Changespell by Doranna Durgin. $2.24 from a Book View Cafe sale back in December 2013. I've read the first (Dun Lady's Jess) and the third (Changespell Legacy), but this was became unavailable. It is now available in an edition from the author, along with the others and a prequel.

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by Strether

I enjoyed it too. At one time there was a statement posted on his website somewhere that the Safehold series would be comprised of eight novels. Reading this book, it doesn't seem likely that it could be wrapped up that soon, and I can no longer find the original notice (I think it was made by his wife, though I'm not positive.)

Jim

I read it this weekend. I agree, I can't see any quick resolution in volume 8 unless the Ghaba reappear and wipe out everyone. Otherwise, it's starting to look like an endless war.

At least, as Apache noted, lots of action and a minimum of infodumps.

Note, the last 100 pages is a list of characters and a glossary - mostly a character list. If this series gets much longer, you'll need a database to keep the characters organized.

[WT Sharpe]

Just finished The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was a re-read, as I've read all four novels and all 56 short stories when I was younger, but as it's been, I suppose, some 30-odd years since reading the last one (with the exception of A Study in Scarlet, which I re-read with the MobileRead Book Club), there were still a few surprises. For someone who had no idea that the Earth orbited the sun (and keep in mind that he wasn't a modern American), his knowledge of far-reaching trivia that has nothing to do with crime is surprising. Surely, he was being a little less than candid with the good doctor when he told him in the first book how he felt the mind was like an attic and anything not directly related to what he was doing had to go. And as he was quoting Goethe in the original German as well as other writers in this story, Holmes surely had more of a knowledge of literature than he led his friend to believe in A Study in Scarlet.

As for the adventure, it was fast-paced and enjoyable until the last chapter, where the villain of the story recited his life history. That seemed to me to drag a bit, and as the case was by that time solved, I was anxious to see his summation wrapped up.